Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Member of the European Parliament José Cepeda joined a three-day Internal Market Committee mission to review the implementation of the EU Single Market.
José Cepeda, a Member of the European Parliament for the Group of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), has called for greater digitalization in regional and local politics to support the implementation of the EU Single Market.
“One of the core pillars of the European project is the Single Market. And this includes numerous facets that institutions must address: digitalisation with a human, not merely
economic, perspective, the protection of workers’ rights, and safeguarding consumers,”
Cepeda stressed.
The trip to Sweden and Denmark was organized as part of a delegation from the European Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) to see how EU legislation was implemented on a national level.
Because “this is the level of government with the most direct impact on territories,” he also argued for accelerating digital transformation at the municipal and regional levels.
Cepeda gave particular emphasis to the use of technologies in the field of security and defence. As European Chair of the Working Group on Security and Hybrid Threats of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, during the visit to the Port of Gothenburg he insisted on the importance of digitalisation in this field.
“The more advanced our technological systems, the better our radars, tracking systems and scanners to prevent drug trafficking proliferation. In short, the more we invest in innovation and integrate digital systems into the functioning of administrations and industries, the better protected we will be against all types of threats, including economic ones.”
For the MEP,
“it is therefore essential to integrate the economic and digital dimension into security decisions.”
The trip “was a unique opportunity to see how public administrations improve their vital public service role through digitalization and everything it entails,” according to Cepeda, a digital expert. Artificial intelligence must be incorporated, cybersecurity must be funded to safeguard our digital infrastructures, and technology must be used for people, not against them.
He also emphasized the efforts being made by the European Parliament to guarantee that digital transformation represents a humane viewpoint.
“It is not enough to develop public policies and legislation. They must be properly implemented. That is why it has been so rewarding to see firsthand how two leading countries like Sweden and Denmark have effectively done so.”
Highlighting the research on artificial intelligence, the MEP delivered a message on
the implementation of EU legislation across the 27 Member States:
“We must also guarantee competitiveness in academia and in the technology sector. Because today, investing in this field is not an option: it is about whether we truly become a Union with strategic autonomy in a digital world,”
Cepeda concluded.
What are the critical issues in the implementation of the EU Single Market?
National legislation, regulations, and administrative procedures vary by member state and restrict the operation of goods and services, digital markets, labor markets, tax policy, and environmental standards.
Fragmentation in many key sectors including telecommunication, energy, professional services, and e-commerce reduces market access and disadvantages firms. National regimes regulating labeling, certification, and licensing create barriers to cross-border movement of goods and services.
There is a lack of enforcement of EU Single Market rules at the EU level and within member states resulting in many breaches or deviations going unaddressed.
